"Footprints of Light: Immortalizing Puerto Galera"-My Photobooks

My journey into photography began in the last quarter of 2011, and by 2012, I was all in. Back then, I was a seafarer with no formal training—just a single book, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. I pored over its pages daily, absorbing every lesson and applying them with my first camera, a Canon Rebel T2i.

As the years rolled by, my passion for photography deepened. Eventually, I made a life-changing decision: I left my job at sea to pursue photography full-time. Over the past 12 years, I've captured countless images—some of which, at least to me, feel special. But it wasn't just about taking photos. One day, a new idea struck me: why not create a photobook of my hometown, Puerto Galera?

I began gathering photos from as far back as 2012, and soon, two book projects took shape. In 2022, I published my first photobook, Puerto Galera Through My Eyes, followed by Gunita in 2024—"Gunita" means "memories" in Filipino.

But why create these books? Was it for money or fame? Absolutely not. My goal was to preserve my art and the memories of my beloved hometown. Unlike many photographers, I rarely share my work on social media. Instead, I felt that a photobook would be a timeless way to leave a piece of myself behind—a legacy for my family, for the people of Puerto Galera, and for anyone who might one day flip through its pages.

I don't know how long I'll be around, but I wanted to leave a lasting gift—my vision of Puerto Galera, captured through my lens. A simple guy, telling the story of his hometown in a way that's uniquely his own.